Posted By Dan Greenfield on May 8, 2024 | 7 comments

WAVE 10: One of the most eclectic yet!

Wave 10 of McFarlane Toys’ 6-inch-scale line of Batman ’66 action figures went up for pre-order Wednesday, with six figures that are equal parts traditional and inventive.

Three are from the TV series — Alan Napier’s Alfred, Roddy McDowall’s Bookworm and Burt Ward’s Wax Robin — and three are from the comic book: Space Batman, Nightwing and Jokerman, with a specially re-deco’d Batmobile.

Dig these pix:

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ALFRED

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BOOKWORM

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WAX ROBIN

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SPACE BATMAN

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NIGHTWING

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JOKERMAN AND BATMOBILE

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Many thoughts:

— Alfred and Bookworm are no-brainers. I’m actually not a fan of that particular TV-created villain but the completist in me demands I pick him up. (I’ve passed on plenty of figures in this line but if it’s a basic figure as seen on TV, I’m getting it.)

— A lot of fans seem bewildered by Nightwing, much like they were Lord Death Man in an earlier wave. The confusion over Lord Death Man was such that I felt compelled to do a piece on who he is, how he came to be, and why he was included in the line. With Nightwing, it’s pretty simple: He comes from the Batman ’66 Meets Wonder Woman ’77 miniseries, which depicted how Dick Grayson would have looked nine years after the show ended — Nightwing a la Evel Knievel. Nightwing, as you know, didn’t appear until 1984 but the creative team took license and I am all for it — and totally down for McFarlane’s cleverness in producing the figure, hairy chest and all.

— Space Batman is based on a Mike Allred variant cover and is one of those ideas that you could imagine on the show if the budget was bigger. Love the bubble helmet! I also like that the body has a blue hue. Sometimes Adam West’s outfit looked gray and sometimes it looked like a shade of blue. This is a neat tip to that.

— Wax Robin is from the Season 2 episode The Joker’s Provokers. Of course, on the show the gag was he was stiff — here, his joints move.

— I’m not at all a fan of the Jokerman visual and this is a variant of a previously released version. (Cape is kinda cute, though.) That Batmobile/Jokermobile, on the other hand, is really groovy, especially with the Bronze Age Joker headshot logo. Still, I personally don’t find it essential and will likely pass.

— I’m really impressed by the chances McFarlane has taken with the line. I still have three requests: Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson and Mad Hatter. Ya need Jervis Tetch to go with the Contaminated Cowl Batman. I would also love to see a Ra’s al Ghul based on Mike Allred’s design, which he based on Christopher Lee, thanks to yours truly. (Look it up!)

— Each figure runs about $20 and is available at many online retailers for pre-order. They are expected to ship in June/July. The Joker/Batmobile set is an Amazon exclusive that goes for about $50.

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MORE

— FILMATION BATMAN: McFarlane Toys’ New Wave — REVEALED! Click here.

— Dig This INSIDE LOOK at McFarlane’s Upcoming WAYNE MANOR and BATBOAT. Click here.